To the end of time (I'll stand by you)
by Hannahmayski
Summary: Shisui has never had many friends, but Genma is one of the very few exceptions. (Shisui makes a different friend, and in the end, this changes everything.) Uchiha Week Day 5


**Summary: Shisui has never had many friends, but Genma is one of the very few exceptions.**

 **(Shisui makes a different friend, and in the end, this changes everything.)**

 **Uchiha week Day 5**

 **Prompt: Childhood friends/ Family/ Youth, innocence, dawn**

* * *

Shisui is five years old when he meets Genma for the first time.

Genma is older than him, thirteen and a Chuunin. He looks at Shisui through disinterested eyes, his whole posture is relaxed but even in Shisui's much younger mind, he can tell that means nothing.

Genma crouches next to him, eyeing the disarray of weapons laid out in front of him.

"Cleaning?" Genma asks. His face doesn't change, and Shisui finds himself a little jealous at Genma's impressive poker face.

"Yeah," Shisui says, picking up another kunai and running his fingers along the blunted edge.

Genma scans his eyes over the weapons, but Shisui isn't sure what he's looking for. Eventually he pulls his gaze up and the senbon clutched between his teeth wobbles as he smiles.

"Want some company?" he asks, keeping his voice light, and Shisui can't find any backlog of animosity in his words, can't think of anything Genma could achieve out of helping him other than the offer simply being a generous one.

"Okay," Shisui says. he folds his legs under him and begins sharpening the Kunai.

Genma picks up a particularly blunted shuriken and gets to work.

Shisui is still young, but he's improving fast. Still, it's rare that older shinobi talk to him aside from Obito and any other Uchiha he may stumble into on his travels.

It's even rarer for Shisui to interact with those from the minor clans. Genma is a Shiranui, and it's not that hard to figure out when Shisui really thinks about it.

Genma doesn't stand out, he doesn't fit in. Genma is quiet, but he's not shy either. The Shiranui are born and bred assassins with only a few exceptions over the years.

But as Shisui looks at Genma, poker face textbook perfect, and the way he runs his long fingers over the weapons with an almost eerie fondness, Genma is definitely assassin material.

They're halfway through the pile before either of them speak again, and it's Shisui who breaks the silence. "Wouldn't you have other important things to do than helping me?"

Genma doesn't look up at him, instead, he holds up a kunai to the sun, letting the light glint of the sharpened edges and Shisui honestly thinks Genma sees something more in the weapons than he can.

"Maybe," Genma replies vaguely. "It can wait."

The senbon bobs in his mouth, and he sends Shisui a small grin that he can't help but find heart-warming. Shisui smiles back, and something in Genma's face lights up a little. He doesn't say anything more, however.

It doesn't take them long to clean up the rest of the weapons and soon they've all been packed up and stored away. The sun glints of Genma's senbon and Shisui finds himself stuck as to what to do next.

Normally he's good at these things, good at talking to people, but there's something about Genma that makes him hold his tongue.

There's something about Genma that makes idle chatter seem pointless, that if wants to speak, it better be something worthwhile.

He bites his lip and he finds his mind drifts to this morning. His mother had kicked him out of the house, _too much like your father_ she had hissed at him.

He understands his mother's pain, knows that looking at him must hurt when his father's death was so sudden and far too early. But that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt.

Shisui is not his father, and he can do nothing about his looks. It's not fair that his mother loathes him so for something he has no control of.

He pushes the thought aside. That was why he's volunteered to clean these weapons for some of the older Uchiha, as a way of distracting himself.

He looks up from the grass and sees Genma looking at him, his face is still as impassive as ever but eventually he lets out a sigh.

"You looked lonely," he says, pulling himself from the grass with the grace of someone far more experienced than him. And Shisui blinks before he realises that Genma's explaining the reason of his presence.

"Look after yourself, squirt. See you around." He sends Shisui a little wave and a small, yet dazzling smile.

Shisui squawks at the nickname but his indignation dies on the tip of his tongue as he watches him walk away.

It's been a while since anyone took time out of their lives just to sit with him, especially a stranger with no connection to him.

Shisui finds he's smiling without even thinking about it and figures Genma must be a decent person.

* * *

Shisui's and Genma's meetings become more often, meeting at the dango stand, on the training grounds, in the Jounin standby station and sometimes in Genma's own apartment.

The meetings become more, but then they become less.

Genma's an assassin. An ANBU assassin. Bred for silent killing means that solo missions are his go to. Plus, Genma is _good._ And so, Genma gets a lot of missions.

Shisui becomes a Jounin and awakens his Mangekyo Sharingan and everything changes. Shisui knows he's strong. Extremely strong.

But even after all these years, his friendship with Genma never wavers. It's a different relationship to his bond with Itachi, maybe not as close, but at the same time much closer.

Maybe because Genma comes with no baggage, no expectations, and no stress. There isn't a less stressful relationship than the one he has with Genma.

The night is young, but Shisui hasn't felt older. The coup is no closer to being stopped, and Shisui finds that Itachi is his only support, even though he's been ordered to spy on him.

Genma meets him that night, and he has always been far too good at getting information he wants for someone who isn't even intel, but he stares Shisui down, mask on his face and fully armed.

"Be careful," he says. There is no way Genma should no anything about the coup. There is _no way._ But Genma is Genma. Shisui sighs, rubs a hand through his hair and sends Genma his best smile.

Genma probably doesn't know the specifics, but it's likely that he knows _something_ is happening.

"I'm always careful, Gen."

Genma snorts and vanishes from the window sill.

Genma is nowhere near Shisui's calibre. Shisui is miles stronger than him, but Genma is his own kind of dangerous. The silent kind of dangerous. The kind of terror that visits you in your nightmares. The kind that's quiet, ruthless and unforgiving. He can handle himself.

So, Shisui swallows deeply, and prays that Genma follows his own advice. He has no doubt Genma would raise hell for him if he asked or if anything happened to him. And Shisui's not sure he'll be able to get out of this one unscathed.

Genma's always been good at keeping his head down. Shisui doesn't want to drag Genma down with him.

* * *

Shisui tried to be careful, walked each line with caution. Considered his situation from every angle he could think of, but he left one out.

Danzou.

Shisui didn't think Danzou would have the courage to do it, to betray him, poison him and steal his eye.

For a Konoha-nin to attack another Konoha-nin is the greatest offence and Shisui never considered Danzou would go that far.

Danzou leans over him, Shisui's own body too spent to move and all Shisui can see is Danzou's fingers reaching forward to take his other eye.

He coughs, his whole body jerking in an effort to get some sort of coordination in his limbs to move, but his body is numb, tingling and aching.

Shisui messed up. And he will pay for his mistake by having Danzou take his final eye and do god knows what with it. Then Shisui will die.

He heaves in a shuddering breath and manages to turn his head to the side, cheek pressed into the dirt. Danzou hisses something at him and grabs his face, wrenching it back towards him.

Shisui feels Danzou's fingers press against soft skin and keep pressing and hates that Danzou is taking his time, making everything that much worse.

Shisui can't withhold a whimper that escapes and hates himself more for letting this happen in the first place. If he'd considered Danzou's underhand tactics then this wouldn't be happening. If had only realised, if he had only reacted faster.

Shisui doesn't hear the sudden commotion. He doesn't notice the sudden absence of Danzou's fingers digging into his face and only barely registers other hands grasping shoulders, holding his head, voices barking orders.

He does hear the voice that whispers in his ear, calm as usual, and unmistakable as ever. "I told you to be careful, Uchiha."

Shisui doesn't have the energy to smile, but as long as Genma is next to him, Shisui has no need to worry.

* * *

Genma is watching him when he wakes up, and Shisui immediately notices the lines of complete exhaustion on his face.

Genma lurches from his seat in an uncharacteristic bout of worry and Shisui smiles at him, like they always have.

Shisui's not sure when smiling at one another began to hold so much meaning between the two of them, when a smile could communicate more than words could ever hope to. But Genma relaxes immediately.

His hair falls in front of his face and he presses his forehead onto the mattress, as though he can no longer keep his head up.

"So much for being careful," he mutters into the covers.

"I tried," Shisui says, his voice comes out as barely a whisper, his throat burns at the effort.

"I know," Genma says, lifting his head and reaching over to grab a cup of water and pressing it to Shisui's lips. "You always try. I know you did your best."

Shisui's not so sure about that, but he doesn't bother saying what Genma will figure out.

"Danzou's dead," Genma says and he doesn't try to keep the raw satisfaction out of his voice. "We couldn't get your other eye back, though."

Shisui shrugs and closes his eyes letting the tension fade from his muscles that he didn't realise was there. Danzou can't come back and try and finish what he started. He's surprised by how relieved he is by it.

Shisui turns his head to face Genma and feels as tired as Genma looks. There is a moment they just look at each other. Shisui isn't sure what he wants from him but as long Genma never leaves his side, it's all Shisui will ever need.

"I'm really glad I met you," Genma whispers, and hearing it out of Genma's mouth directly makes Shisui's chest burn.

"I'm really glad I met _you_ ," Shisui, and the rare, surprised blush that blooms across Genma's face makes him chuckle.

Whatever happens, as long as Genma is at his side, Shisui is sure he has nothing to worry about.


End file.
